Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 6, 2017)
OCTOBER 6, 2017, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A9 HEROES, continued from Page A1 know about him. He wears a red spandex bodysuit with black boots, matching gloves, and a chest harness sporting his custom yellow logo. A black eye mask covers his face above the nose. The get-up is a kit-bashed homage, of sorts, to three of Shield’s favorite superheroes: Captain America, the Golden Age Phantom, and Mr. Incred- ible from the Pixar The Incredi- bles movie of the last decade. Shield smiles through his thick beard, then asks if Adam would like a picture. Hayes al- ready knew Shield because of a news article a few years back about Shield patrolling in Bea- verton. “Dude, would I?” responds Adam. “Just walking down the street and I bump in Guardian Shield. And who are you?” The last part is directed to The Night Spider, Arachnight. It’s not hard to deduce which comic book hero infl uenced the man behind the full-face mask the most. Arachnight’s costume is a blending of two versions of Spider-Man and one of his most notable en- emies, Venom. After a brief introduction, Adam turns his attention back to Shield, telling him that he was thinking hard about join- ing the ranks of community superheroes a few years ago. Adam tells Shield about the design he came up with for a costume of his own. “What stopped you?” Shield asks the question twice because he would eagerly welcome new people to the superhero move- ment. Strength in numbers, so long as the players take the mis- sion seriously. The mission, Shield says a few minutes later, is key. “You gotta keep the mis- sion small. Some community superheroes want to bust drug lords or fi ght ISIS. Our job is interrupting a purse-snatching, a person breaking into a car, or stopping an assault,” Shield says. “It’s about being eyes and ears when the police can’t be there. You can’t be a vigilante. We work within the law.” Hayes snaps a picture of Shield and Arachnight and then the group crosses River Road together. Before putting some distance between them, Adam asks for one last picture, a selfi e with the heroes. “The most challenging thing, when you start out, is you have to learn to get past the KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald Adam Hayes snaps a selfi e with Guardian Shield and Arachnight during their patrol Saturday, Sept. 30. name-calling and naysayers. You will be made fun of, but you have to recognize that there is someone out there who will think this is awesome,” Arach- night says. Fortunately, for every hater, there are 20 Adams out there. WATCHMEN Their paths to becoming community superheroes didn’t intersect until they met online, but Shield and Arachnight feel they have common enemies in apathy and indifference. “One of my big pushes to do this was seeing YouTube videos of people getting beat up while others stood there fi lming it. That is unacceptable,” says Shield. Arachnight puts it more bluntly. “If you were getting your teeth kicked in and looked up to see someone fi lming so they get likes on Facebook, how would you feel?” he asks. Shield has patrolled for three years, Arachnight for two, and neither has been involved in a major altercation. “We are not out here to re- place the police. We are here to help and assist because it’s our community, too,” says Shield. Most people, he added, are de- terred by the suit alone: “I’m already crazy enough to be out anything, whether it’s assaulting somebody or breaking into a car.” here by myself in spandex, how crazy are you?” Being eyes and ears in the dark spaces can help prevent situations from escalating or catch them before they take a turn for the worse, said Arach- night. A few weeks ago, Shield spotted a Ringo’s patron trying to coax a friend into the trunk of his car for the ride home. The man’s girlfriend was riding shotgun in the two-seater. “I went up to him and told him that wasn’t going to work and everyone ended up in the car itself,” Shield said. On one of his early adven- tures, Shield walked up on a domestic dispute and called 9-1-1, knowing the situation was beyond his abilities to dif- fuse. Tonight, the patrol ends up being essentially a long string of good deeds: fl ickering a fl ash- light to get a driver to turn on his headlights, going into Shari’s to notify a patron that they left their headlights on, picking up large pieces of litter and leav- ing a pair of Gatorades next to a sleeping homeless man. “We want to be a deter- rent to violent crime,” says Arachnight.“If the bad guys notice you are there, the major- ity of them aren’t going to do SECRET ORIGINS Shield and Arachnight grew up on a steady diet of comic books and pop cultural rep- resentations of the characters found in them. Shield found something between the panels that felt like a higher calling. “I’m not invulnerable or perfect, it’s that I’m willing to put myself between an inno- cent person and a bully,” says Shield.“I was on the MAX one time and a guy was talking to told me that he felt like he was talking to Captain America- -like I was on that level--that was cool. People get excited to see a superhero and I’d like to think that goodness carries over into their lives.” For Arachnight, comic books were an escape. “I came out of a broken home and, when I needed a sense of hope, I cracked open a comic book. My mom’s death was the infl uence that told me I needed to become that hero I always wanted to be. I don’t think her death is the reason I do this, but I know she would support it if she were still here,” Arachnight said. Please see HEROES, Page A10 Business&Services HEATING & COOLING FUNERAL HOME MEMORY CARE YOUR COMFORT IS OUR BUSINESS Gas Furnaces Memorial Centers Cremation & Burial Heat Pumps Salem - 412 Lancaster Dr / 503-581-6265 Air Conditioners Low Cost Cremation, Burial, & Funerals Simple Cremation - $595 Simple Direct Burial - $710 Traditional Funeral - $2,275 Indoor Air Quality Ductless Heat Pumps CCB #193 064 CALL 503.304.1320 www.ANewTradition.com - 3816 River Rd N CR CR 1229 LAWN SERVICES PLUMBING NURSING & REHAB FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED FOR OVER 39 YEARS COMPLETE LAWN & GARDEN CARE Yard cleanups, mowing, pruning, bark dusting, and more! Our family serving your family 24-H OUR S KILLED N URSING • T HERAPY • W OUND M ANAGEMENT L ONG T ERM C ARE • D EMENTIA C ARE • A WARD W INNING A CTIVITIES D ELICIOUS H OMEMADE F OOD • L OVELY S URROUNDINGS • C ARING S TAFF 4062 A RLETA A VE NE • K EIZER , OR • 503-390-2271 WWW .S HERWOOD P ARK . COM CALL TODAY - 503.304.8849 CR CR CR MASSAGE REAL ESTATE REAL ESTATE The McVays are Keizer Ken Ream 503-881-5335 Carolyn Ream 503-551-3656 Born, raised, & residing in Keizer, the McVays have 27 combined years of experience with Coldwell Banker. They know this market and are here to help! Creating Change Starts With Us! You have options — we are different. We go above and beyond what most Realtors will do. If selling, we help you paint, pressure wash, move you, and help you with staging your home. If buying, there are two of us always available to meet your needs and help you through the process. BRIAN & APRIL McVAY Your goals are their priority 503.510.6827 mcvaythree@gmail.com FIND OUT MORE AT www.KenReam.JohnLScott.com CR 1020 DIABETES CR SAND & GRAVEL VEHICLE GRAPHICS VENUE VETERINARIAN HOST YOUR EVENT AT Windsor Rock PRODUCTS Topsoil, Crushed Rock Round Rock Pea Gravel SCREEN PRINTING VEHICLE WRAPS EMBROIDERY & MORE! You haul or we deliver Team & Fan Wear • Banners Stickers • Window Tinting Prompt Service - Saturday until noon Phone quotes CR VETERINARIAN 503-393-7462 wvah.net NC B.Sc., DVM, Diplomate, ABVP Mon & Fri: 8am - 6pm, Tue -Wed-Thu: 8am-9pm, Sat: 8am-4pm, Sun: 11am- 4pm Visit the all new KeizerHeritage.org 503.991.5316 CR Owner 4975 River Road North D R .S HERI M ORRIS Keizer, OR 97303 WEDDINGS • RECEPTIONS SOCIAL EVENTS FIND US BY Point S Tires 3818 River Rd N, Keizer 393-8920 824 Windsor Island Rd. N. • KEIZER NC NOW OFFERING ACUPUNCTURE AND CHIROPRACTIC SERVICES No Appt. Necessary CR YOUR MORTGAGE LAM FOUNDATION Nelson Lomax , Mortgage Loan Originator NMLS #271083 Offi ce: 503-581-8100 Cell: 503-910-8510 Nelson@landmarkprofessional.net 503.390.5222 CreeksideVetKeizer.com 113 McNary Estates Dr N, Suite B – Next to Don Suklis State Farm Insurance CR NMLS #399162 OR LIC #ML -5038 WA LIC #MB-399162 1255 Lee St. SE, Suite 200, Salem, OR 97302 NC 0202
